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Cold wave kills
at least 52 children in Peru
At least
52 children had been killed by the cold wave
that has hit central and south Peru in the past
few days, the Peruvian health authorities said
on Saturday.
Severe respiratory disease and pneumonia were
the main cause of the deaths, authorities said
in a statement. The children killed were mainly
from the families of poor herdsmen living in
mountainous areas.
The worst-hit was the Puno province, where
42,000 people got respiratory disease, 391
people caught pneumonia and 18 children died.
Although it is now autumn in Peru, the
temperature in some mountainous regions fell to
below minus 16 degree Celsius.
The cold also killed livestock in the stricken
areas, where the Peruvian government has been
sending relief materials.
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